Are We There, Yet?

This is a discussion on Are We There, Yet? within the General Orchid Culture forums, part of the Orchid Culture category; Howard,
Thanks for the tips on transferring keikis. I noticed that one of your plants ...

How do you get your leaves to shine?

Howard,

Thanks for the tips on transferring keikis. I noticed that one of your plants had very shiny leaves. What did you do to get them that way, if I may ask?

Also, I saw that you transferred one of your keikis to a new pot with what looked like bark and/or coconut shells. May I ask what media it was? So far I've been using sphagnum moss. I'm wondering whether I should change my media.

Romulus, the leaves appear shiny possibly because I spray all of my chids with RD-20 every month or so to help with crown rot and other diseases. Since it is a soap base, I guess it just washes away lots of minerals and dirt that would otherwise collect on the leaves. I don't use any kind of "leaf polish". I only use bark/CHC. For the keiki I used a finer mix. I don't use sphag because I have a watering obsession and would kill more chids than I could grow. There is nothing wrong with sphag, if that is what you feel comfortable using.

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